Maldives Cabinet Hold Underwater Meeting

This was an interesting way to hold a meeting and get society engaged in the ever real problem of climate change!

Singapore Airlines voted Best Airline of 2009

Flying can be scary for some, but for others if they fly with the right airline, they will be treated to a first class experience- even in economy.  One airline that makes everyone feel great about flying is Singapore Airlines.  For 2009, Singapore Airlines was the recipient of the OAG Airline Award.  They received the award because they were seen as the most innovative based on votes by their customers. 

This award got me thinking.  I remembered that I travelled on the airline.  We were treated to a three course meal of which we were able to choose on the plane.  We were able to selection alcoholic beverages from a wide array of products. After which, brought us a warm washcloth to clean our hands and our face, while we selected a newspaper from the largest collection I have ever been given on a flight.   The service was impeccable!

The only time I was able to afford flying on Singapore Airlines was back 6 years, and it is nice to hear that they are keeping up with the service, even in times of increasing fees, and surcharges as a result of restructuring and cutbacks. 

Singapore Airlines is doing it right!

Next time you are surfing the Internet for a flight check out Singapore Airlines to see if they have a seat sale or deal because even economy flyers will receive “Champagne service.”

A great website is titled E-T
ravel Blackboard, check it out!

Collecting Travel Points on your Credit Card?

Credit cards have evolved over the years.  Initially they were only used to cover cash flow gaps, however today credit cards also have other benefits that draw you to the card.  Some credit cards give travel points, air miles that can be used toward hotel stays, airplane tickets, and merchandise.  These partnerships help to make a credit card more attractive but do cost those involved some profits. 

One way to get around this, and recoup some costs, American Express has enacted a new regulation with cards that are cobranded with Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Hilton Hotels, and Starwood Hotels, where rewards won’t be transferred to your loyalty account with those partners if you are late paying your bill.  This regulation will take effect on January 1^st, 2010.  Those who do not pay their bill on time will not be granted their points for that month and will have to pay some hefty fees if they want to get those points back.

After a late payment is made and you want to recoup the points you will have to pay the late fee, but also a reinstatement fee of $29. On top of that fee they will hit you with an increase of your interest rates.  Getting your points back might be too costly!

American Express states that they are enacting this new regulation to cobranded cards to ensure consistency because they already had this policy for non-cobranded cards.

The morale of the story: if you have a credit card that accumulates points, make sure you can pay for all the items on your bill, or at least the minimum payment.  If you can pay for the items, be sure to pay on time, because you may be out more money, for no good reason!

Thailand adopting e-Business

One country that relies heavily on the Tourism Industry but is slow to adopt e-Business technology is Thailand. The Thai Government is trying to push the tourism sector to adopt these new technologies to reinvigorate and advance the industry.  Basing tourism industry on the Internet is key to keep up with other countries.  If Thailand doesn`t they will see a dramatic decrease in tourists. 

To improve tourism the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has introduced http://thai.tourismthailand.org.  On this site, would-be visitors need to enter details such as destination zones, type of travel, the number of days for the trip, the number of tourists and a total budget.  In turn, the site will search the TAT directory and come up with a tentative plan for the trip.  This is an ingenious system that will improve the e-Business situation for Thailand, helping to lure more tourists to the country.

Thailand is on the right path, but still has a long way to go to implement and update this new e-Business technology. Implementation will not take place overnight- it will take extensive amounts of time, training and money but in the end the initiative will bring more people to the country to explore the spectacular beaches, dramatic temples, and the meet the beautiful Thai people.

For more information on this new initiative visit http://www.apecdoc.org/post/13/4664

Fee's Fee's and More Fee's!

Enjoy travelling? Well if you do, you could be in for another big hit to the budget with the ever-increasing prices of plane tickets. Surcharges were added to checked bags, fuel surcharges last year, however many American airline companies are adding yet another surcharge. This new surcharge that has been introduced tacks another $10 on flights during the most popular travel days around Thanksgiving, New Year’s as well as Easter and spring breaks.

Beyond surcharges, there are other fees that the traveler will be faced with for checking luggage, or pre-booking plane seat before 24 hours before the flight. Before these were just part of the convenient services that were provided. Today however, they are classified as luxuries.

For travelers, all the fees make it tougher to figure out the real cost of a flight because of all the fees that are exceed the base fare.

Why is this happening? Airlines are able to increase revenue without having to increase fare prices. This tactic keeps the airline companies out of the hot seat because consumers do not see or hear about the dramatic increase in fare. Airlines make money, without any consumer backlash.

These hidden fees, although stated on the websites, often get overlooked by the buyer until it is too late. To avoid large fees and surcharges it is important to read the fine print before buying a ticket on the Internet. If the base fare price is too good to be true, then likely it is too good to be true! Your travel budget could be ruined with all these new fees and surcharges without your knowledge.

For more information on this topic go to E Turbo News: http://www.eturbonews.com/11918/and-yet-another-airline-surcharge-holiday-travel-fee

Check out this funny commerical for Southwest Airlines because next time you travel this could be what you have to look forward to!

Environmentally Sound Building in Fukuoka City, Japan

Travel to Japan and check out the last greenspace in Fukuoka City.  It houses offices, retail space, a 2000 seat theatre, a museum and of course a park on the outside.  These designs are becoming more and more popular as people and businesses are trying to reduce their ecological footprints.  This building and its green roof and walls cascade into public parkland. 

If you can't afford to travel there, do so via the Internet.  This link will give you all the details about this building and many more pictures of this interesting twist on being environmentally friendly while still constructing a building to accomodate the demand for offices in the city.

Fukuoka City's Last Greenspace

Amazon's PayPhrase is Simplifying E-commerce

Buying items on the Internet seems easy, aka E-commerce. You are in the comforts of your home, not  having to deal with the crazy Christmas crowds, however its just not that simple.  You can’t seem to remember your password that you have created for your Sears account.

This is a problem that I run into all the time.  I have created many different passwords and user names for a host of different sites, that I often forget which halts my online spending. 

To curb this problem Amazon has created a new service, PayPhrase which is in direct competition with PayPal.  With PayPhrase you don’t need to keep track of user names and passwords, to shop at many sites on the Internet, all you need  to remember is one phrase and one PIN to pay.  With this new service, E-commerce will be simple and fast- just the way we like it! 

Credit Cards containing RFID chips not so secure

Ok, so I mentioned this RFID technology in my last blog, and I found this interesting YouTube video about credit cards that contain this technology.  Most large credit card companies, especially American Express, Visa and Discovery have begun to put these chips in some of their credit cards.  This is supposed to speed up the payment process, because you only need to wave the credit card in front of a reader at the checkout, no signature needed. 

Sounds good eh?  Well here’s the hitch.  There are scanners that can be bought off Ebay online for $8 US which can read the chip and gain all pertinent information that is attached to the card while it is in your pocket.  Your credit card information is stolen without the actual card missing.

So next time you get a call from a credit card company trying to sell you on the newest and latest credit card, you should proceed with caution because these issues haven’t been dealt with.  Most credit card companies are continuing to distribute these types of credit cards, without responding to the problems.

Credit cards have replaced paper money because of the risks of carrying it when travelling; however actual money seems more attractive than these RFID chipped credit cards. Maybe you should only use it when you eTravel to keep your banking information safe.

Pet Door with RFID Technology

If you are a pet owner who needs a pet door to ensure there are no accidents while you are at work, or away for a couple days travelling, but afraid to install one because of security issues, Plexidor Pet Door is for you.

 This pet door is a “smart door” that only opens for your animal because the collar around the neck contains an RFID chip.  The door reads the key code as your dog approaches it, and allows access.  Security issues are in the past with this innovative technology. Your house is safe while you are away allowing your pet to roam freely inside or out.

Businesses are not the only people who have benefitted from RFID technology,  pet owners do too with this inventive product.